The Missing Link
It’s no secret that we like to do what’s easy and what we’re good at – particularly when it comes to our time in the gym. Walk into any commercial gym on any given day, and you’ll inevitably find people doing any number of the following:
Dudes = bench pressing, shrugs, leg presses, leg curls, leg extensions, selling tickets to the gun show.
Chicks = thigh adductor/abductor machines, pink dumbbells, smith machine squats, crunches, elliptical while watching Ellen.
Yes, I realize that the above is a gross over-generalization, but lets be honest, I’m not too far off. What’s more, people often gravitate towards stuff they like to do, rather than what they need to do.
If you were to ask me what’s the one missing link in most programs, it’s simple: SINGLE LEG WORK!
Sure whenever I’m not at CP, I see people doing their lunges (or what they think are lunges) and various single leg work (1-legged leg curls don’t count); but more often that not, what I end up witnessing is so god awful and atrocious, that it makes me perpetually bleed from my cornea. True story.
Thankfully, Mike Robertson would wholeheartedly agree – which is why he’s released his new product The Single Leg Solution.
So then the question becomes: “So why in the heck should I include more single leg work into my programming?”
Well for starters, if you’re an athlete or remotely interested in performance, including more single leg work will undoubtedly help. In short, single leg work does a superb job at improving overall strength by forcing the hip adductors/abductors to fire and stabilize the body (namely the femur) while the body is breaking the frontal plane, which is especially beneficial for many athletes. This is also the reasoning as to why single leg work helps to improve coordination and balance, which many people (athletes aside) drastically lack.
Similarly, I have yet to find anyone who hasn’t seen their “big lifts” (squats, deadlifts) go up from including more single leg training into their programming.
Additionally, if we’re looking to reduce axial loading and compressive force on the spine, single leg training is exactly what the doctor ordered. As well, with regards to overall knee health and hip health, you’d be hard pressed to find anything more beneficial than dedicated single leg work.
Most important of all, while it’s admittedly not as “sexy” as following some hybrid, Eastern Bloc periodized squat pyramid scheme, you suck at them and it’s high time you step out of your comfort zone and include more single leg variations into your training arsenal.
But don’t just take my word for it, Mike has gone out of his way to provide an outstanding resource for those looking to take their training to another level. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy and I have no doubt that it’s going to help a lot of people. Both the DVD and manual are chock full demonstrations, progressions, programming strategies, and coaching cues, to name a few.
So, whether you’re a banged up powerlifter with the hips of a 90 year old man, an athlete with banged up knees, a weekend warrior looking to improve his/her performance and overall badassness, or just a personal trainer looking to get better, The Single Leg Solution could very well be that missing link.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the sale price of $77 is only going to last till this Friday at midnight. Afterwards, the price increases to $97, so be sure to act now and take advantage of the savings!
